Last Night

Just to reiterate my strange dream tendencies...I had one last night that was concerning. The dream started quite nicely. I was under water in the ocean watching sea cows eat and swim. The difference with these sea cows compared to real life sea cows is that these cows had feet, as in they were actually shaped like cows and walking on the ocean floor. Just as they are in real life they were adorable. I was talking to my brother (he was there swimming with me in my dream) and remarking at how adorable these sea cows were. Seconds later a huge fierce lion came out and began attacking the sea cows--this ended the nice portion of the dream. The lion was trying to eat them and I screamed in horror...I wanted to protect the sea cows but the lion had them pinned against some coral. Mind you, this is all still taking place completely under water. Then out of nowhere comes a herd of zebras that begin to attack the lion. Five or six zebras jump on top of the lion and then begin to tear him apart. Thankfully before the fierce zebras did any further damage to my psyche I woke up.

So this morning I logged on to the dream deciphering website and according to them here is what I could piece together about my strange dream:

Ocean: To see an ocean in your dream, represents the state of your emotions and feelings. It is indicative of some spiritual refreshment, tranquillity and renewal.

Lions: To see a lion in your dream, symbolizes great strength, aggression and power. You will overcome your emotions and/or difficulties. As king of the jungle, the lion also represents royalty, leadership, pride and dominion. You have much influence over others. You may also need to exercise restraint in your own personal and social life. To dream that you are attacked by a lion, indicates that you have many obstacles to overcome. You must resist the force that is driving you to self-destruction.

There was however no listing about what it means to have the lions torn apart. So I compromised and looked up violence.

Violence: To see violence in your dream, indicates unexpressed anger or rage. You need more discipline in your life. The dream may also reflect repressed memories of child abuse.

Zebra: To see a zebra in your dream, represents perfect balance, unity, harmony, and the attraction of opposites. Alternatively, it signifies that you are spending too much time in trivial and varying matters you need to establish a mindset and lay your groundwork for some solid stability.

There was no listing for a manatee or a sea cow so I just picked cow.

Cow: To see a cow in your dream, signifies your obedience to authority without question. It symbolizes your passive and docile nature. Alternatively, it represents maternal instincts or the desire to be cared for. For some cultures, the cow represents divine qualities of fertility, nourishment and motherhood. To see a herd of cows, indicates your need to belong.

Given all of this here is what I think my dream means:
I am at a time of change in my life and I desire to be cared for, however I am driving myself towards self-destruction and standing in my own way of what I am working towards. (hmmmm, this is good stuff!) BUT then enter the zebras...my self imposed obstacles can be overcome by stopping myself from obsessing over things that don't matter and working towards a mindset of stability and solid ground.

After interpretation my dream makes a lot more sense to me and is actually quite relevant. Maybe there is something behind our dreams after all.